5:30pm Life After Theory – A Critique of Posthumanism and Surface Reading

February 15, 2017 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

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A recent panel on posthumanism and post-theory at the MLA convention in Philadelphia attempted to challenge contemporary theorizations in the field of literary and cultural studies by providing a counter-history. Since there is still unbounded enthusiasm for a post-theoretical project, and especially for the concept of ‘surface reading,’ it is necessary to read and understand its foundational texts and their genealogy in intellectual history. For while posthumanism claims to radically challenge anthropocentric and paranoid readings of literature it in fact questions critical approaches to literary and cultural texts. Yet nothing could be more important in the era of ‘post-truth’ than a revitalized ‘hermeneutics of suspicion’ and a theory of praxis that trains students and scholars across the disciplines in depth-models of reading.

For this purpose, this reading group will focus on close readings of (short) post-theoretical texts and excerpts dealing with the so-called hermeneutics of suspicion, complemented by critical responses and background texts. All texts will be made available as PDFs or links.